Five Arrows fire coach Aoki

The Takamatsu Five Arrows did not renew the contract of head coach Motofumi Aoki, the bj-league team announced on Wednesday.

Aoki, 44, had led the team since its inception, and the Five Arrows went 88-48 over the past three seasons. Aoki guided Takamatsu into the postseason in each of the past three seasons, including a runnerup finish to the Osaka Evessa in the 2006-07 season. He was the bj-league’s 2006-07 Coach of the Year.

Ex-Rizing Fukuoka coach John Neumann is rumored to be a candidate for the Takamatsu vacancy.